Jun 27 / Staff

Confronting Racial Disparities in Social Services

Designing and facilitating a high-stakes summit to catalyze equity in one of the nation’s largest public service systems.

Client Context

The New York City Department of Social Services (DSS)—the largest municipal social services agency in the United States—serves over 3 million residents annually. It comprises both the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services, delivering critical support to the city’s most vulnerable populations.

Despite its reach and intent, DSS has long struggled with the embedded effects of structural racism across its programs, policies, and practices. In recent years, calls for racial equity became louder, and DSS leaders recognized the need to go beyond internal reflection. They sought to gather the ecosystem—community advocates, policymakers, frontline staff, and clients—to openly examine the racial disparities in service delivery and design a pathway forward.

With sponsorship from the Open Society Foundations, DSS committed to hosting a two-day Racial Disparities in Social Services Summit as a catalyst for transformation.

The Challenge

The task before DSS was as emotionally charged as it was operationally complex. The agency had to convene diverse voices—some of whom had long criticized it—into a shared space for truth-telling and visioning.

The central design questions included:
  • How do we create a safe space for honest, and at times difficult, conversations about race and social services?
  • What frameworks help participants understand the historical roots and contemporary mechanics of systemic inequity?
  • How do we move from dialogue to strategy in a way that leads to lasting institutional change?

DSS needed more than an event. It needed a moment of reckoning—and a launchpad for collective accountability.

The Symphonic Approach

Symphonic Strategies was selected to design and facilitate the Racial Disparities Summit. We brought our full capabilities in systems analysis, emotional intelligence, facilitation design, and stakeholder strategy to the engagement.

Our approach unfolded across four integrated phases:
1. Collaborative Planning and Agenda Design
Working in close partnership with DSS and the Open Society Foundations, we developed a two-day agenda that balanced storytelling with systems thinking. Topics were carefully selected to reflect structural inequities while offering space for solution generation.

2. Facilitated Convening: Day One – Context and Consciousness
Day One featured keynotes, historical framing, and expert panels that explored how race intersects with poverty, homelessness, and public systems. Through moderated discussions and personal testimony, we helped participants confront both the data and the human experience behind disparity.

3. Facilitated Convening: Day Two – Strategy and Action
On Day Two, the emphasis shifted to designing actionable change. Participants examined the criminalization of poverty, explored models of anti-racist service design, and participated in harvesting exercises that generated recommendations for policy, training, and engagement.

4. Synthesis and Strategic Reporting
Post-event, Symphonic delivered a comprehensive report outlining key insights, emergent strategies, and implementation opportunities. The document served as a blueprint for DSS to advance its racial equity goals beyond the summit.

The Impact

The summit was a turning point for DSS in how it understood and approached racial equity within its vast system.

Specific outcomes included:
Elevated Awareness and Empathy
Leaders and staff left with a deeper appreciation for how historical injustices and institutional behaviors continue to shape outcomes for communities of color. The summit reframed “equity” from a policy concern into a human imperative.

Concrete Strategic Guidance
The harvesting sessions produced a collection of actionable strategies—ranging from equity-focused staff training and data accountability tools to structural reforms in service delivery and policy implementation.

Strengthened Relationships and Trust
By engaging advocates and critics in genuine dialogue, DSS began repairing strained relationships and laying the groundwork for more collaborative future engagement.

Momentum for Institutional Change
The summit energized internal working groups and leadership forums focused on integrating racial equity across all facets of DSS operations—from hiring and resource 

Reflections

This engagement exemplifies how courageous convening, when well-designed, can activate systems change. Rather than hosting a symbolic event, DSS created a transformative experience—one that made room for emotional truth, historical reckoning, and strategic alignment.

The agency continues to use insights from the summit to inform its broader racial equity framework, with follow-on initiatives in leadership development, policy analysis, and community co-design.

Feedback

“This wasn’t a performative conversation. It was a reckoning. Symphonic helped us see where we’ve been, and where we must go, together.”
— Senior Leader, NYC Department of Social Services (anonymous)